Witness, Warning, and Prophecy: Quaker Women's Writing, 1655-1700 (Volume 60) (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series)

The forty texts collected in this volume offer a small but representative sample of Quaker women’s tremendous literary output between 1655 and 1700. They include examples of key Quaker literary genres — proclamations, directives, warnings, sufferings, testimonies, polemic, pleas for toleration — and showcase a range of literary styles and voices, from eloquent poetry to legal analyses of English canon and civil law. In their varied responses to the core Quaker belief in the indwelling Spirit, these women left a rich literary legacy of an early countercultural movement. The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe - The Toronto Series: Volume 60 Cover 1 Title Page 10 Contents 12 Illustrations 16 Acknowledgments 18 Abbreviations 20 Chronology of Events in Early Quaker History 22 Introduction 24 PART I: PROPHECY 56 Proclaiming the Inner Light 58 Martha Simmonds, When the Lord Jesus Came to Jerusalem (1655) 60 Martha Simmonds, A Lamentation for the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel (1655) 64 Sarah Blackborow, Herein Is Held Forth the Gift and Goodwill of God to the World (1659) 72 Rebecca Travers, Of That Eternal Breath Begotten and Brought Forth (1659) 80 Priscilla Cotton, A Testimony of Truth to All Friends (ca. 1659–1663) 88 Dorothy White, A Call from God out of Egypt (1662) 94 Mary Mollineux, “On the Sight of a Skull” (1669) 107 Elizabeth Stirredge, A Salutation of My Endeared Love (1683) 110 Directives to Political and Religious Authorities 116 Priscilla Cotton and Mary Cole, To the Priests and People of England (1655) 117 Margaret Killam and Barbara Pattison, A Warning from the Lord to the Teachers and People of Plymouth (1655) 126 Mary Howgill, A Remarkable Letter of Mary Howgill to Oliver Cromwell (1657) 135 Priscilla Cotton, A Brief Description by Way of Supposition Holding Forth to the Parliament (1659) 141 Elizabeth Hooton and Thomas Taylor, To the King (1670) 147 Anne Whitehead and Others, For the King and Both Houses of Parliament (ca. 1670) 153 Anne Docwra, A Looking-Glass for the Recorder and Justices of the Peace and Grand Juries ... of Cambridge (1682) 158 Warnings 170 Hester Biddle, Woe to Thee City of Oxford (1655) 171 Priscilla Cotton, As I Was in the Prison-House (1656) 178 James Nayler, Martha Simmonds, Hannah Stranger, and William Tomlinson, O England; Thy Time Is Come (ca. 1656–1657) 181 Rebecca Travers, This Is for Any of That Generation (1660) 198 Sarah Blackborow, The Just and Equal Balance Discovered (1660) 204 Dorothy White, A Lamentation unto This Nation (1661) 224 Dorcas Dole, Once More a Warning to Thee, O England (1683) 231 Sufferings 248 Anne Audland, A True Declaration of the Suffering of the Innocent (1655) 249 Mary Dyer, “To the General Court Now in Boston” (1659) 260 Mary Dyer, “Once More to the General Court Assembled” (1659) 265 Sarah Blackborow, The Oppressed Prisoners’ Complaint (1662) 268 Mary Mollineux, “Meditations Concerning Our Imprisonment Only for Conscience Sake” (1684) 273 Theophila Townsend, A Word of Counsel, in the Love of God (1688) 277 Barbara Blaugdone, An Account of the Travels, Sufferings and Persecutions of Barbara Blaugdone (1691) 290 PART II: LATE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY QUIETISM AND ORGANIZATION 302 Reason and Reflection 304 Theophila Townsend, A Testimony Concerning the Life and Death of Jane Whitehead (1676) 305 Anne Docwra, An Epistle of Love and Good Advice (1683) 328 Rebecca Travers, A Testimony Concerning Our Ancient and Dear Friend Ann Whitehead (1686) 338 Anne Docwra, Spiritual Community, Vindicated amongst People of Different Persuasions in Some Things (1687) 342 Anne Docwra, A Treatise Concerning Enthusiasm (1699) 347 Dorcas Dole, A Salutation and Seasonable Exhortation to Children (1700) 355 Women's Meetings 360 Anne Whitehead and Mary Elson, An Epistle for True Love, Unity, and Orderin the Church of Christ (1680) 361 Katharine Whitton, An Epistle to Friends Every Where: To Be Distinctly Read in Their Meetings (1681) 375 Mary Forster and Others, A Living Testimony from the Power and Spirit of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Our Faithful Women’s Meeting(1685) 389 Theophila Townsend and George Fox, An Epistle of Love to Friends in the Women’s Meetings (ca. 1686) 397 Katharine Whitton and Others, A Testimony for the Lord and His Truth (1688) 405 Bibliography 412 Index 426